Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Heaps.io VS Pygame

Compare Heaps.io VS Pygame and see what are their differences

Heaps.io logo Heaps.io

Mature, cross-platform graphics engine for high performance games.

Pygame logo Pygame

Pygame is a set of Python modules designed for writing games.
  • Heaps.io Landing page
    Landing page //
    2020-08-09
  • Pygame Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-17

Heaps.io features and specs

  • Cross-Platform Support
    Heaps.io is designed to work seamlessly across multiple platforms, including web browsers, desktop, and mobile devices. This makes it a versatile choice for developers looking to deploy applications across different environments.
  • Efficient Performance
    Heaps.io is optimized for performance, making it suitable for creating high-performance games and applications. It leverages Haxe's capabilities to produce efficient code.
  • Rich Multimedia Support
    The engine provides robust support for 2D and 3D graphics, audio, and other multimedia features, enabling developers to create immersive and interactive experiences.
  • Open Source
    As an open-source project, Heaps.io offers developers the ability to contribute to its development, customize the code, and access a community of users and contributors.
  • Integrated with Haxe
    Heaps.io is tightly integrated with the Haxe programming language, offering developers the benefits of a modern, high-level language with powerful cross-platform capabilities.

Possible disadvantages of Heaps.io

  • Steep Learning Curve
    For developers unfamiliar with Haxe, Heaps.io may present a steep learning curve as it requires learning both the engine and the programming language.
  • Smaller Community
    Compared to more established game engines like Unity or Unreal Engine, Heaps.io has a smaller user community, which can result in fewer resources, tutorials, and third-party tools available.
  • Limited Documentation
    Although Heaps.io provides documentation, it may not be as comprehensive or detailed as that of other popular engines, posing challenges for beginners seeking help.
  • Niche Use Case
    Due to its specific design and integration with Haxe, Heaps.io may not be suitable for all types of projects, especially those not requiring cross-platform capabilities or featuring complex requirements.

Pygame features and specs

  • Easy to Learn
    Pygame is beginner-friendly, making it accessible to those new to game development and programming. Its simple syntax allows for quick learning and development.
  • Comprehensive Documentation
    Pygame offers extensive documentation and tutorials, which are extremely helpful for new developers. The community-contributed examples and guides also aid in the learning process.
  • Cross-Platform
    Games developed with Pygame can run on multiple platforms including Windows, Mac, and Linux, which makes deployment much easier.
  • Active Community
    Pygame has a vibrant and active community, which means you can find plenty of resources, forums, and user-contributed codes to help you with your projects.
  • Built on Python
    Being built on Python, Pygame leverages Python's clarity and simplicity, and integrates well with its extensive libraries and frameworks, making it highly versatile.

Possible disadvantages of Pygame

  • Performance Constraints
    Pygame is not the most performance-optimized game development framework. For high-performance or graphics-intensive games, a more optimized engine might be necessary.
  • Limited 3D Support
    Pygame is predominantly designed for 2D games, lacking advanced 3D graphics support. Developers looking to create 3D games might need to look into other frameworks or engines.
  • Less Modern Functionality
    Some features provided by modern game engines, such as advanced physics engines or high-level scripting systems, are either missing or require additional libraries.
  • Lower Community Size Compared to Major Engines
    While Pygame has an active community, its community is smaller compared to major game engines like Unity or Unreal, meaning fewer resources and third-party tools.
  • Manual Memory Management
    Handling memory management, such as manually freeing up resources and optimizing performance, can become cumbersome for developers as Pygame does not automate this.

Analysis of Pygame

Overall verdict

  • Pygame is a good choice for those who want to start game development in Python, especially for 2D games. Its simplicity and large community support make it an attractive option for both beginners and intermediate developers. However, for more complex or 3D game development, other engines may be more suitable.

Why this product is good

  • Pygame is a popular library for game development in Python due to its simplicity and ease of use. It provides a wide range of modules for handling graphics, sound, and input, allowing developers to create 2D games efficiently. The library is well-documented and boasts a large community that contributes tutorials, forums, and examples, making it accessible for beginners. It is also cross-platform, which means games developed with Pygame can run on multiple operating systems.

Recommended for

  • Beginners learning game development
  • Developers creating 2D games
  • Python enthusiasts interested in game design
  • Educational purposes and teaching programming concepts

Heaps.io videos

BiteSize Heaps.io Tutorial - part 01

Pygame videos

2019 Pygame Projects

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Heaps.io and Pygame)
Game Development
33 33%
67% 67
Game Engine
33 33%
67% 67
3D Game Engine
48 48%
52% 52
2D Game Engine
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Heaps.io and Pygame

Heaps.io Reviews

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Pygame Reviews

Top 6 Python Framework for Game Development | by Ankur Kumar | unikaksha | Medium
Pygame is the most popular game development framework. It’s a Python wrapper building video games based on the SDL library. The SDL library allows cross-platform access to the system’s multimedia hardware, such as audio, video, the mouse, keyboard, and joystick. Because SDL and Pygame are cross-platform, they help develop games and rich multimedia Python programs on any...
Source: medium.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Heaps.io seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 21 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Heaps.io mentions (21)

  • Unity's Trap
    Maybe the engine used for Dead Cells, https://heaps.io ? - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Ask HN: Best stack to make a 2D game in 2023
    I've personally had a very good experience with Haxe and Haxeflixel (https://haxeflixel.com/) although Heaps (https://heaps.io/) seems to be more popular nowadays. Haxe is very nice as a language, can easily cross-compile to a lot of targets, Haxeflixel is heavily inspired by some Actionscript framework and has a lot of goodies. Maybe Heaps is more mature, up to date and allows for more advanced features. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
  • What is the worst engine you've ever used and why?
    Not really the worst, but you can say my least favorite, and that would be heaps.io. Source: about 2 years ago
  • why are gamedevs so against sharing code?
    Yeah I think it's ideal for 2D development. Look into heaps.io . . You might like it! These days it seems the best source of community for haxe is in their official discord server. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Picking a language
    Many frameworks will let you export for the web, even if you don't code your game in JS. Unity, Godot, Bevy(?), heaps.io ... The list goes on and on. Source: over 2 years ago
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Pygame mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Pygame yet. Tracking of Pygame recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Heaps.io and Pygame, you can also consider the following products

HaxeFlixel - Create cross-platform games easier and free. All with one codebase.

Godot Engine - Feature-packed 2D and 3D open source game engine.

Unity - The multiplatform game creation tools for everyone.

Flax Engine - Best development performance out there Unleash your creativity and be more productive. With Flax you can boost your game development and bring it to another level. We’ve created tools that are slim and agile. No Read more…

Unreal Engine - Unreal Engine 4 is a suite of integrated tools for game developers to design and build games, simulations, and visualizations.

GDevelop - GDevelop is an open-source game making software designed to be used by everyone.